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William Koven Temporary Kings opens in Venice where, for the first time, we find Nick outside of the British Isles. While at a writer's conference, Nick meets two Americans, Glober and Gwinnett. Being a well-off white male who is used to reading American authors, I had a new experience while reading Temporary Kings: I ran into sweeping generalizations and stereotypes being applied to me. That is to say, characters in Temporary Kings make generalizations and comments about Americans that I find much too specific to be applied to as diverse a group as Americans, and therefore me. I'm sure that I've made similar generalizations about other groups of people, and I'm sure I've read many American authors doing the same thing Powell does, however, this is the first time I've been on the receiving end of it. Admittedly, Temporary Kings takes place many years before I was born, but I don't think enough time has passed for the generalizations Nick and other characters make to be both true and unrecognizable to me. My experience is that to call someone "American" does not tell you much about a person, since Americans can be vastly different. A rural farmer from the south, for instance, is going to be an extremely different person from a New York Jewish banker. Geography plays a big part in how people live and America, which is similar in size to continental Europe, has a huge variation in geography. Factors such as climate, weather, and population of an area effect how people live and thus their attitudes. People living in rural areas won't have the same values as those from urban ones and people from desert regions won't think in the same way as people from rainy climates. Religion too plays a huge part in forming a person's attitudes, and America is a country where Protestants, Catholics, Mormons, Jews, and even some Muslims are all to be readily found. Heritage also plays a part in forming the attitudes of most Americans. A Chinese-American will be rather different from an African-American who is likely to be different from a long settled white American who is probably not the same as a recently immigrated Mexican-American. While I think that some generalizations can be made about more specific groups of Americans, my experience says that America as a whole is almost too diverse a place to make any generalizations, let alone the kind Nick does. Nick, speaking of Gwinnett says, "That he was American scarcely appeared on the surface at first, then something about the thin bone formations of arms and legs, the sallowness and texture of the skin, suggested the nationality" (TK 20). Walking down the streets of New York City I have a very hard time telling who is a foreign tourist and who is an American. I've found that the size, shape, color, or even language of a person does little to make the difference clear. If Nick met an African-American scholar would he have found something to suggest the American nationality? Are there no thin-boned and sallow skinned Europeans? "`Some of the violent consuming nervous American energy was characteristic of Trapnel too.' `He'd no American blood?' `Not that I know of.'" (TK 28). This snippet of conversation between Gwinnett and Nick once again makes assumptions about Americans as a whole that I don't think are true. Perhaps if they were talking about city life, Hollywood, or something more specific, then a generalization could be made, but I don't think Americans as a whole can really be characterized by nervous energy, at least not any more so than Europeans. I found, however, the second part of the conversation even more perplexing. I know of very few people whose families have been in America for more than four generations, and considering that the US is less than two hundred and fifty years old, what would it even mean to have American blood? For the moment at least, America is a country full of immigrants, so to say, `having American blood' seems quite strange to me. Odds are that if Trapnel had any American blood, it would really be some form of European blood that stopped over for a couple of years in America before returning to Europe. I could see how having American parents might impart some sort of different temperament on a person, but American blood alone, I think, would mean absolutely nothing. Throughout the entirety of Temporary Kings, Nick and other characters continue to make generalizations about Americans such as, "Of course he remains essentially American in believing all questions have answers," (TK 175). "He said all that quite simply, in the manner Americans achieve, without self consciousness or affectation, serious comment," (TK 156). And, "He looked more `American' than in Venice… The Americanism had something to do with the intense whiteness of his shirt, cut low in the neck," (TK 197). These comments, like most of the generalizations about Americans just don't quite match up against my real life experience. Perhaps the reason is that I am an American and that only someone from the outside, such as Nick or Powell, would take notice of how different Americans are. But, I think that rather than making astute observations about Americans, the characters in the Dance are really just making generalizations drawn from the few Americans they have met and mostly unfounded stereotypes. This is not to say that Powell made Gwinnett or Glober unrealistic, un-American characters; in fact, I think quite the opposite. Powell, spent time in Hollywood, worked in the British film industry, and was himself an author and literary man. I think that Powell is therefore in a good position to create a film tycoon character such as Glober and an author-professor like Gwinnett. As for the accuracy of Glober and Gwinnett as Americans, I think that because the US is such a diverse place it would be quite hard to create a character that could not possibly be American. Powell, probably more than most people, is also in quite a good position to be able to compare the American types in Hollywood to their British counterparts and to compare American literary types to British ones. Where I disagree with Powell is extending those differences and stereotypes to Americans as a whole. |
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Kym Louie In Temporary Kings, Nick and other guests to the writers' conference in Venice visit Jacky Bragadin's palace and view a ceiling painting by Tiepolo. Very few people know about the painting because, according to Dr Brightman, "The subject, thought to have some contemporary reference, caused trouble at the time the ceiling was painted. That's why the tradition of playing the picture down, keeping it almost a secret, has persisted to the present day. The owner is in any case said to be more than a little neurasthenic in approach to his possessions, and much else too," and Gwinnett says that "The owner won't allow it to be photographed (TK, 43)." While the name Tiepolo is well-known among Dr Brightman's circles, it is less familiar to me and my classmates. Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (also known as Giambattista Tiepolo) was an 18th century Venetian painter and printmaker. He is considered to be among the last "Grand Master" fresco painters and has paintings in over 60 museums worldwide. In addition, he painted multiple celebrated ceiling frescos like the one exhibited in the Bragadin Palace. Giovanni Tiepolo was born in Venice in 1696, the sixth child of Domenico Tiepolo, a sea-captain, and Orsetta. His first major commission was the Sacrifice of Isaac in 1715 and he was received into the Fraglia guild of painters two years later. Many of his first works were canvasses to decorate chapels and his reputation rose quickly. As his paintings grew in demand, he became very prolific. Prince Bishop Karl Philipp von Greiffenklau commissioned many ceiling paintings by him in the New Residenz palace in Germany, which he worked on for three years. The painting over the entrance staircase is the largest ceiling fresco to date, depicting Apollo and the continents, at 7287 square feet, completed in collaboration with his two sons. In 1753, Tiepolo was elected President of the Academy of Padua and continued to paint frescoes as well as ceiling frescoes for churches. He also painted two well-known ceilings for the Palazzo Labia depicting the Meeting of Anthony and Cleopatra and the Banquet of Cleopatra. Charles III comissioned a large ceiling fresco, Apotheosis of Spain, for the throne room of the royal palace of Madrid. ç Many of Tiepolo's paintings feature stories from mythology, like the Candaules and Gyges on Bragadin's ceiling. His ceiling frescoes generally portray the heavens, converting the ceiling into a window into the sky. Though many of his paintings portray partially nude women, as in The Glorification of the Barbaro Family (http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/tiep/ho_23.128.htm), they do not appear to be as suggestive or controversial as the scene depicted in the painting in the movie A Dance to the Music of Time and would not have prompted Pam to ask "Who's the naked man with the stand?(TK, 83)" Tiepolo did not do a ceiling fresco of Candaules and Gyges, so the painting in the Bragadin Palace does not actually exist. ç Tiepolo's work was in high demand at his time and has had an effect on many painters following him. His art presents ancient history and myth in a thatrical fashion, as the characters in Candaules and Gyges are presented mid-scene. The presence of his art at the Bragadin Palace shows how extremely wealthy Jacky Bragadin must be. Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giovanni_Battista_Tiepolo http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/tiep/hd_tiep.htm |
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John Bukawyn As we learn about the two gay Russian spies, Burgess and Maclean, and the myth of Candaules and Gyges, espionage becomes an important part of Temporary Kings, by Anthony Powell. It is not only hearing about these, but a character in the novel also seems to delve into both sorts of secret life. In the eleventh installment, Widmerpool's influence, by becoming a Life Peer, has come to its paramount, but still he is very ambitious, craving power. He still attempts to make foreign connections, and in doing so he involves himself in the art of spying. Widmerpool however, dabbles not only in political aspects, but also in the private sphere of sexual espionage. Over the past few novels of the series, the reader learns from various sources that Widmerpool fades more to the left, borderline Communism. From Bagshaw the reader learns that Widmerpool makes, "people think he is a safe man, because he's attacked from the Communist end. Pretend he's an enemy, when he's really a close friend" (188, TK). Widmerpool's history in the armed forces gives others around him false confidence that he is anti-Communist, where in truth Widmerpool has very much become a Marxist. Before the reader hears of his political alignment in Temporary Kings, however, Widmerpool exhibits some unorthodox behavior. While in Venice, his business with Dr. Belkin is certainly suspicious. He asks Nick frantically whether or not he has seen this Belkin character, who seems also to be a spy or a foreign correspondent: "he could have become too much occupied in the cultural affairs of his own country, in which he plays a central part" (108). Dealing with a foreigner certainly does not entail that Dr. Belkin is in fact an informant, but rather it is Widmerpool's reaction to Pamela's comments of Belkin being "foutu" (109) that add to the picture. He responds flabbergasted: "You know its importance-if true…which I doubt…the whole point of making this contact…the consequences…you know perfectly well what I mean…" (110). The consequences, which can not be said in public, show that it is truly an important and scandalous matter. Finally Sunny Farebrother completes the suspicion by saying, "he had been giving encouragement, too, by passing across little bits of information himself from time to time" (211). From the information concerning Widmerpool's case and from Widmerpool himself, there is no question that he is a spy working with some foreign government. The ceiling painting of Candaules and Gyges, depicting the myth, appears in the novel. In Lydia, where Candaules was the king, it was forbidden for someone to see the naked body of another. Breaking this was punishable by death. In the myth, Gyges accepts Candaules' offer to look upon his wife's naked figure. In the novel, Pamela references to this picture when tormenting Widmerpool: "All the same, the subject of this particular picture might catch your attention-for instance remind you of those photographs shut up in the secret drawer of that desk you sometimes forget to lock" (110). Here Pamela is referring to how Widmerpool snaps pictures of her and other men having sex. Later on in the novel, a similar event happens. After the Manasch-Stevens party and Pamela becomes enraged, she reveals that she knew that Widmerpool was spying on her and Ferrand-Seneschal, "you tell them about it. After all you were there…He thought I didn't spot he was watching through the curtain," (261). Spying on them, Widmerpool is acting as if he were Gyges and Pamela as if she were the queen. Widmerpool's spying has been revealed by Pamela and has been discovered by the government. Although he does not find himself in trouble in Temporary Kings, the fact that he is being tried and Pamela's eventual death are signs that things will go south in the final novel. |
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Jay Park As Pamela stares at the fresco of Candaules and Gyges, she asks "Who is the naked man with the stand?" Only referencing the sensuality of the scene, Pamela casually ignores Brightman and Glober as they carefully delineate the myth of the King of Lydia, Candaules, and his guard, Gyges. More importantly, however, Pamela fails to recognize the recurring theme of the temporary kings, as she focuses only on the intent of King Candaules - not the end result. Throughout A Dance to the Music of Time, Pamela has represented the Queen figure - upholding her position while her suitors rotated just as temporary kings; however, the penultimate book, Temporary Kings, represents a reversal of roles, as Pamela ironically plays the role of Gwinnett's temporary Queen. From her relationships with X Trapnel, Ferrand-Seneschal, and Widmerpool, Powell has almost overemphasized the allure and danger of Lady Widmerpool. As one who only expressed "emotional warmth…towards the dead," Pamela proves to be a threat once again in Temporary Kings (102), particularly to the next potential King Cladaules, Gwinnett, an American journalist writing a biography of our beloved X Trapnel. However, from his initial description, Powell hints that Gwinnett may be quite different from Pamela's other, now deceased suitors. More than aware of Pamela's acid personality, even Nick is hesitant to introduce Gwinnett to Pamela, as he contemplates "the question of whether or not to introduce [him]… without saying some preliminary word first" (99). However, his fear of a potential "scene" between Pamela and Gwinnett is suddenly quelled as he realizes that the American journalist is quite different from her previous suitors. "The mere fact that Gwinnett himself, not Pamela, took the offensive" makes quite an impression on Jenkins (100). Having experienced the entirety of Pamela - from Peter Templar to X Trapnel - Nick goes on to parallel "Gwinnett's tone with Pamela" as he "[conveyed] only the merest atom of over friendliness" (101). As Gwinnet does not seem the least bit overwhelmed by Pamela's sheer sexual appeal, it becomes quite clear that this temporary king might not be quite so temporary. Continuing to question Pamela about X Trapnel, Gwinnett continues to reveal his immense capabilities to match Pamela's previously unparalleled aggression. For instance, in response to Pamela's threat to destroy Trapnel's Commonplace Book - which contained portions of the brilliant manuscript Profiles in String - Gwinnett bluntly responds, "I entirely believe you, Lady Widmerpool, but you don't have the Commonplace Book" (173). Furious because of his disbelief, Pamela threw her supposedly meaningful crocodile shoulder bag over the side of the bridge to imitate Trapnel's "necessary sacrifice" of his swordstick. Almost immune to her tactics, however, Gwinnett "stood there openly unimpressed" by her open aggression (173). In essence, despite her absurd and irrational actions, Pamela cannot seem to control Gwinnett, as she had to so many others. Almost uninterested in Pamela for reasons other than her knowledge of X Trapnel, the American journalist establishes his dominance in his relationship with the infamous Pamela. Nick once questions whether " Gwinnett could give Pamela Death" in the sense that Pamela would add Gwinnett to her repertoire of dead suitors; however, as the relationship develops, Jenkins' original inquiry seems to be entirely ironic because Pamela will most certainly not obtain any sort of physical or emotional Death from Gwinnett. In a twisted series of events, Pamela Widmerpool commits suicide to appease Gwinnett and his necrophilia tendencies - which Powell gently hints at prior to her death. In an entirely ironic series of events, Pamela's death comes full circle. Her own need for dominance causes her to desire Gwinnett - who for the most part seems uninterested - to reach an irrational level, so irrational in fact that she commits suicide in her last attempt to satisfy his pleasures. Although Powell leads the reader to believe that Pamela will add Gwinnett to her list of Temporary Kings, it is in fact the Queen who is added to the growing list of the deceased. |
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Alex Svec Anthony Powell's eleventh novel in the Dance to the Music of Time series, Temporary Kings brings up a subject, that for the most part has been left alone for the past ten novels; sex. With the introduction of Pamela Flitton a few novels earlier we knew that sex would eventually become a major theme. In this penultimate novel, the floodgates are opened. Perhaps the image of Candules and Gyges should have tipped us off, although I'm not sure if anything could have prepared us for what was to come. Pamela's multiple affairs and sexual encounters seem tame in comparison to Widmerpool's stint in voyeurism and Glober's "locks of love." By far the most shocking though, would have to be Gwinnett, and his taste for necrophilia. It cannot be proven that Gwinnett actually performed sexual acts with a corpse, but the death of Pamela in his company is more than a clear indicator. In the past necrophilia was practiced for multiple reasons. Some cultures attempted to communicate with the dead through the acts, while others thought of it as a means to revive the recently deceased. In other societies the practice was enacted owing to a belief that the soul of an unmarried woman would not find peace, therefore versions of a marriage ceremony were held to lay a dead virgin to rest, which would involve intercourse with the corpse. There are records from Ancient Egyptian times, showing that the bodies of young women were sent out to rot for a few days before they were given to the embalmers, in order to discourage any sexual interactions. Today the reasons for necrophilia are mainly psychological. In 1989 Rosman and Resnick theorized that either of the two following examples were likely to be the cause of necrophilia. 1) The necrophiliac develops poor self-esteem perhaps due in part to a significant loss; (a) He (usually male) is very fearful of rejection by women and he desires a sexual partner who is incapable of rejecting him; and/or (b) He is fearful of the dead, and transforms his fear - by means of reaction formation - into a desire. 2) He develops an exciting fantasy of sex with a corpse, sometimes after exposure to a corpse. The most common belief held by the majority of psychologists, is that Necrophilia is the attempt to gain possession of an unresisting or nonrejecting partner. The line in which Nick says, "It was death she liked" about Pamela, is terribly ironic. It is true that Pamela has taken pleasure in past lovers' demises, but in the case of Gwinnett the roles have been reversed. Gwinnett's ultimate pleasure will come in the form of Pamela's death, a disgusting and terrible, yet fitting end for the temptress that was Pamela Widmerpool. It would be impossible to simply guess that Gwinnett is a necrophile before Pamela's death, but looking back on some of the things Nick said about him, we can make the connections. "There was a sense of loneliness." "Withdrawn, mysterious." "Russell's difficulties." As the dance moves on, we become more and more acquainted with death. Characters we have known for many novels (Stringham, Templar) are leaving us one by one. Some will miss, and others we won't. By introducing us to Gwinnett, the necrophile, Powell is giving a much more multidimensional thought on death and what it means to certain people, than we are used to. It will be interesting to watch how Gwinnett progresses in the last novel. Information taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Necrophilia_in_popular_culture http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial_killers/notorious/necrophiles/necro_4.html |
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Dana Feeny Powell links Pamela to Tiepolo's work numerous times throughout his description of the ceiling in Temporary Kings. He suggests that Pamela could have been a part of the painting, relating Pamela to the naked woman in its center, and has Pamela express interest in it as to draw everyone's attention upwards and spark a conversation that seems to be describing and analyzing it. I believe this painting is an insight into Pamela and the description and discussion that occurs surrounding it applies to her as well. "Pamela's own tints hinted that she herself, only a moment before, had floated down out of those cloudy vertical perspectives, perhaps compelled to do so by the artist himself, displeased that her crimson and peacock shades struck too extravagant a note, one that disturbed rather than enriched a composition, which, for all its splendor, remained somehow tenebrous too." (82) The description and dialogue about this painting begins with that description of Pamela. I believe Powell intentionally described Pamela in terms of the painting, and the painting in terms of Pamela. Clearly they are not one and the same, but this depiction allows us to mentally place Pamela in the picture. It lets us know that this is about her. It gives a sense of foreshadow and meaning to the ceiling painting. It is more than just a painting; it is connected, some mysterious way, to the one and only, Pamela Widmerpool. "The lady, less intent on making love, anxious to augment pending pleasure by delicious delay, somehow remembering her own neglect of some desirable adjunct, or necessary precaution, incident on what was about to take place, had paused." (84) In context, this sentence clearly describes the woman in the center of the painting, but when isolated it could be camouflaged as an analysis of Pamela. The phrases "augment pending pleasure" and "delicious delay" fit right in with Pamela's selfish, manipulating tendencies. Pamela's sexual promiscuity is not just about Pamela loving sex, but about her loving control and her amusement through the downfall of others. She augments her own pleasure by manipulating people with sex, but also by continuously surprising others with her harmful, unjustified, and often unprovoked actions, for example when she discarded X Trapnel's manuscript. Powell himself relates Pamela to the woman in the painting when he presents the possibility that, "like Pamela herself --- she was frigid but wanted a lot of it all the same" (84) This was brought up as a potential explanation for the body language of the hesitating woman painted on the ceiling. As the myth goes, the woman is paused not because of her Pamela-like frigid desires, but because she was distracted by the man hiding in the corner. Regardless, this clear association of Pamela with the woman is not to be ignored. The intimate situation of nudity, the two men, and the focus on the undecided naked woman creates a scenario of confusion, vulnerability, hesitation, and manipulation that hits close to home to Pamela Widmerpool. "One of the paradoxes about Pamela was a sexuality, in one sense almost laughably ostentatious, the first thing you noticed about her; in another, something equally connected with sex that seemed reluctant, extorted, a possession she herself utterly refused to share with anyone." (81) Pamela is an anonymity that we cannot understand, but throughout the analysis of Tiepolo's ceiling painting, Powell brings forth just a few sides of the polygon that is Pamela Widmerpool. |
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Corey Simpson If you had told me before Temporary Kings that Pamela Widmerpool would meet her demise willingly to bring someone else pleasure, I would have pitied you for getting your characters all mixed up. It seemed quite obvious to me that Pam was inhuman and unfeeling and never became involved with a man unless it was on her twisted secret agenda to do so, but even clinging stubbornly to my conviction that Pam is evil and manipulative, I'm having a hard time thinking of any personal benefits to be gained in killing yourself to satisfy your lover's peculiarities. She would certainly never do such a thing for any of her former lovers; so what, exactly, is different about Russell Gwinnett? Gwinnett expresses interest in Pam from almost the first moment Nick encounters him, but not the sort of interest she is accustomed to. In his capacity as Trapnel's biographer, Gwinnett is well aware of Pam's status as a "femme fatale," and of the cruelest sides of her vicious nature. He knows her reputation, and he is as well prepared to meet her as anyone could possibly be-but most importantly, he is prepared to meet her as someone who played an interesting role in his topic of research, nothing more. Nick spends the approximately three pages leading up to the introduction of Pamela to Gwinnett bracing himself for an explosion (reasonable, considering her past behavior). Surprisingly, however, Gwinnett manages to carry the situation with unruffled self-possession: "…Gwinnett himself, not Pamela, took the offensive…" (100), and he proceeds to be more persistent in the face of her frigidity than anyone could have guessed, stating first "I'm writing a book on X Trapnel," (101) and then, following a lack of any response from Pam, calmly adds "I think you knew him" (101). Gwinnett, unlike almost every other male Pam has encountered, refuses to be intimidated by her. After a few moments of tension, the silence breaks-and Pam has a friendly conversation with him. Wonders never cease. As their relationship continues, Gwinnett sometimes appears confused by Pamela's behavior, but still retains some backbone in the matter. When he describes his experience in the Basilica, Nick is surprised at his understanding of Pamela, noting "the comment showed Gwinnett no beginner in female psychology. He and Pamela might be well matched" (158). Then, with slight embarrassment, Gwinnett tells Nick about Pamela's sudden grab for his balls. Nick, well aware of Pamela's personality, doesn't seem much shocked at this, and asks for details only later in the conversation; "…or was she still holding on?" (159). Gwinnett replies, "I'd disengaged her -- told her to lay off" (159). At this point, we know for certain that Gwinnett is unusual; one normally would not simply tell Pam to "lay off" and expect to survive the experience. In addition to Gwinnett's attitude towards Pam being drastically different from that of most other men, Pam herself behaves quite unusually in her pursuit of Gwinnett. He seems unremarkable as personal conquests go, but Pamela stalks him with a determination that is a bit terrifying at times. Considering her usual indifference to the existence of the rest of the human race, this noticeable interest in another person is surprising. We never see enough of the interactions between Pam and Gwinnett to be able to tell how compatible they are in personality, but their quirks -- Pamela's tendency to resemble a corpse during sex combined with Gwinnett's heavily-hinted-at necrophilia, for example -- serve to bring them together. While Pamela's final sacrifice may seem uncharacteristic, it may be a reflection of her feelings, however slight, for a man who was always polite yet never intimidated by her. To say that they loved one another is probably untrue, but perhaps Pamela gave herself to Gwinnett out of a sense of gratitude for the one relationship she had that was not defined by fear. |
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James Seman The city of Venice is famous for its distinctive canals. In fact, these canals were so distinctive and impressive that Tsar Peter the Great of the Russian Empire copied them in an effort to make his capital seem more impressive. In the penultimate book of Anthony Powell's Dance to the Music of Time, Temporary Kings, Nick Jenkins attends a conference of writers in Venice. During his time there, Nick is surrounded by the history and culture of this venerable city. Its most famous feature is its canals. The city of Venice is built on an archipelago of 118 islands that are formed by approximately 150 canals. The canals are bridged by about 400 bridges, which are the only land routes to the different islands of the archipelago. In part because of the difficulty that lies in navigating this city of bridges, there are no cars in the city of Venice. In fact, Venice is unique among European cities in that it remains a functioning city in the 21st century without any cars or trucks. Instead, walking or ferries remain as the dominant forms of transportation around the city of Venice . The best-known example of transport is the famous Venetian gondola. For many years, gondolas were used as ferries and were the chief method of transportation within the city of Venice itself. The traditional black color of the gondola dates back from a sumptuary law, but they are still painted black because it has become a tradition. Tourists now mainly use these gondolas, although they are still used by Venetians for traditional reasons like weddings and deaths. Motorized ferries, traghetti, have mostly supplanted gondolas in their role as the chief mode of transport in the city of Venice itself. Over the course of Nick's conference in Venice, he meets Russell Gwinnet, who is writing a book on X. Trapnel, and wants to meet Pamela. When he finally meets Pamela, he meets her in the Basilica di San Marco a Venezia, Saint Mark's Basilica. The Basilica is extremely ornate on both the inside and outside, and it is built to honor St. Mark. There is some irony in his cathedral being in Venice, as he is traditionally believed to have proselytized the gospel, and one of its chief messages is: "thou shalt not steal", but his remains were stolen by Venetian merchants in the mid 800s, and were later housed in a temporary church on the same spot as the present Basilica. It is in this very Basilica, where Pam steals Russell's heart, and grabs him by his attention and other parts as well. This action sets up both Pam and Russell's demises, as Pamela later commits suicide so Russell can enjoy having sex with her corpse one last time, and Russell, as a result of his meeting and later falling out with Pamela abandons academia. The background of Venice plays a part in shaping the rest of Temporary Kings. By using Venice, once the most powerful and decadent of all the Italian city-states , Anthony Powell shows just how important the events of this novel are. Although most of the characters are getting older and past the prime of their lives, they are still capable of making decisions that have a huge impact on other characters' lives. Pamela dies, but not before revealing some of Widmerpool's dirty secrets, which sets the stage for Widmerpool's downfall. Likewise, Russell is no longer a literary figure, so this event that leads to Pamela's death leads also to his own, literary death. This death, combined with Pamela's, sets the tone for the rest of the novel and the rest of the series. As time marches on, more and more of Nick's old friends will die too. Works Cited: 1. "Venice." Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venice. 20 May 2008. 22 May 2008. 2. "Gondola." Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gondola. 17 May 2008. 24 May 2008 |